Amateur astronomers are heading towards China to watch solar eclipse

Times of India: Monsoon is likely to dampen sky-gazers’ enthusiasm as the solar eclipse will fall at a time (July 22, 2009) when most of the skyline will be covered by clouds. The best place to see the eclipse, experts say, will be the mainland of China.

Some amateur astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts are already packing their bags as they plan to travel all the way to the dragon land.

Harshad Abhyankar, a software professional and an amateur astronomer, says, “Watching the solar eclipse in totality is a different experience altogether, and so I decided to go to China. The eclipse will be seen in parts of India, but the country will be in the midst of monsoon then and so it is a risk,” he says.

Places in India where the eclipse would be visible are Surat, Indore, Bhopal and Varanasi among others.

Seconding his opinion, Deepak Joshi, the secretary of the Jyotirvidya Parisanstha, an old astronomy association in India said, “If you see one solar eclipse in totality then you have to watch it all! This year the longest duration of the solar eclipse would be in the Pacific ocean, but if you want to watch it on land, China offers the best view.”

Joshi and other core members of the association though are planning to go to Savang in Arunachal Pradesh, which is located at a height of 18,000 kilometres, taking them above the clouds. “What you have to watch in a solar eclipse are the two diamond rings, and of course the totality when everything goes dark and you can see starts and even some planets,” he adds.

Tour operators in the city, meanwhile, have their plans chalked out for the rare event as several enthusiasts have already booked their tickets to China. One of the tour operators, Amol Damle has been organising tours all over the world to watch solar eclipse in totality. “We organised the first one in 2001 when we had gone to Lusaka in Zambia after which we went to Turkey in 2006. We had a good attendance on both occasions and this time too we have received unexpected response for the tour to China,” he says.

The representative of a well-known tours and travel company from the city says that the tour was organised because they had an expert accompanying them, the expert being none other than the scientific advisor of the Inter-University Centre of Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Arvind Paranjpye. “While some people have already booked their tour tickets, others are in the process of doing so. People are happy to know that they have an expert in the group,” says Jhelum Chaubal, the director of a tour and travel company. Paranjpye on the other hand says that he is going to China because that was were the eclipse could be seen for a long duration.

Amateur astronomer Prakash Tupe says that this is the longest solar eclipse to take place in a century. “It is a different experience altogether and watching one only makes you wait for the next one,” he says. Astronomy association Akashmitra’ too is thinking of planning a tour to China. “Nothing has been finalised yet,” says Vandana Singhal, the vice-president of the club.

Another tour operator planned a tour to China after he received a large number of inquiries. “We will organise one soon since the enquiries have gone up,” says Deepa Vernekar, an offical with the tour operator’s office in the city.

Interestingly, the tour operators are also including some sightseeing in the tour itinerary. “People can see the Great Wall of China and other sights in Beijing and Shanghai and even the Chinese Tibetan area,” says Damle. Chaubal, on the other hand, says that they have also arranged a cruise to see the world’s largest hydroelectric power plant in Hubei, China. “It is a good opportunity for astronomy enthusiasts to combine some sightseeing with a view of the solar eclipse,” she says.

More articles by The Desk

• Actor Pankaj Jha will be holding his first solo exhibition 'No Mind’s Creation' in the city - March 17th, 2010
• IPL merchandise hit stores across the city - March 17th, 2010
• Cummins plans to reserve 30% posts for women - March 17th, 2010
• Scorpions are passion for Zoology student Aamod Zambre - March 17th, 2010
• New local job website for Pune - March 17th, 2010

Also see:

• June 19, 2009 -- Destination Nalanda for city astronomers to witness solar eclipse (0)
• February 9, 2010 -- City-based institutes to have courses in IT and management in China (0)
• January 7, 2010 -- Pune will witness a partial solar eclipse for over 227 minutes on 15 January (1)
• July 24, 2009 -- Pune will experience the next big eclipse after 293 years (0)
• July 22, 2009 -- Rumours doing internet rounds about the solar eclipse (0)